Blown Headgasket? *video*

[350kmileford]

I think I have a blown head gasket. Here's what happened: Yesterday morning I leave my place in Concord, Ca and drive down to San Mateo, it takes about 50 minutes. 90% of it is highway driving at about 70-75 mph.
The temp gauge was at about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up, which is ideal for highway driving in my car. It was probably between 35-40 degrees F out. I pull off the highway, drive for about a minute, then park. I hear the radiator start to boil over so I turn the elec. fan on and it subsides. No worries, to be expected.

At 10:30 I get in and drive on an access road at no more than 35mph for 1-2 minutes. I notice that my temp gauge is about maxed out. I pull over, steam is everywhere, things look bad. So I got get breakfast and 35 minutes later it is cool enough to open the radiator cap. I add almost a gallon of water to it. Start it up, it idles for 5 minutes and the temp seems fine. Short test drive, seems fine. I then drive it to work (I am now very late) on the highway, for about an hour. Temp is back to normal/ideal.

I get out of work at 6:40. It starts VERY rough, but then smooths out mostly once warm. I am driving home (through town, max 35-40mph, 40 degrees f out) and my temp gauge reads in the center. It wasn't overheating obviously, but the temp gauge normally wouldn't get that high in those driving conditions. About 3 minutes from home I notice there's a lot of smoke and or/steam coming from the exhaust. I get home and verify that large amounts of potential steam.

So today I pulled all the plugs. 1-5 seems Ok but 6 had a light brown tint all over it. Compare a picture of plug #1 http://i35.tinypic.com/2e17j43.jpg
to some pictures of plug # 6:
http://i34.tinypic.com/2eod0s8.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/2hceses.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/2dkbb45.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/iyo9ra.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/jslf1y.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/fx80g4.jpg
Sorry for the cell-phone quality.


Here's the video: http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2i0ywar&s=4

The miss isn't really audible in the engine bay in this video. It is best heard when I am first in the driver's seat-an unhealthy rattle is heard, anyways.

Now it doesn't appear to be smoke from oil. And it doesn't have much of a smell, but the coolant system is probably 95-100% water at this point.

 

[JackFish]

Didja check the oil for coolant?

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

compression check?

 

[mugsy]

Check the water in the rad, it should be close ot where you filled it up. Second, go rent a cooling system pressure tester. Presssurize the system and see how fast the presure goes down. Third, if the system loses presure then re-pressurize it and listen for hiss/leak. Take the spark plug out and listen to the cylinder. Lastly, perform a compression test.

 

[350kmileford]

I didn't check the oil for coolant. I assume I would need to drain it to check?

I have no money atm, but have access to my old high school's auto class. I might go talk to the teach. about using their pressure tester, doing a compression test, leakdown, etc.

 

[gearhead138]

Compression check and check the dipstick for white/yellow milky sludge. those are the simple quick tests to tell you. Is this a recent rebuild?

 

[350kmileford]

Not a recent rebuild. Mileage on engine is unknown. I've never driven another 200ci so I don't know what to compare it to. It ran like a poor snail (would top out at about 75-80mph), I put a nice DSII ignition about a thousand miles ago and that brought the engine back to life. Has been pretty reliable otherwise. It hasn't been burning oil, it starts and runs good. I did a compression check about a year and a half ago, everything was even, I can't remember the numbers though.

Does it sound like a headgasket thus far though? Other predictions?

 

[gearhead138]

Your number six cylinder is the problem, you should compare it with #5 and#4 at least and you should see a big difference. I lost a head gasket in my 300 a couple months ago, ran great one minute the next time I started it, it ran like crap. Compression check gave me a positive diagnosis in minutes. Prepare to pull the head and be greatful it's a six and not a V-8

 

[nachoman]

I think you can rent a compression tester from autozone for free (well, with a 25 buck deposit). Shouldn't take you that long - if the gasket is blown, you will probably have 60psi or less on #6. Also, after the engine has been run and shut off and cool, take the #6 plug out and see if there is any water on the end of the plug or down in the cylinder. Replacing a had gasket is pretty easy, and quick. I've done it in about 4 hours before.

Kevin

 

[Broncitis]

Looks like its time for a little refresh maybe and get that M90 started on, should have picks soon if I ever get my serpentine adapter for dampner. Haven't forgot about your request.

 

[Frankenstang]

It does not look like oil smoke, looks like she's steaming out the tailpipe as you said.

Water entering the cylinders in combustion will cause it to steam out the tail pipe like that (pic of plug seems to suggest this too..doesn't look oil fouled looks wet/steam cleaned), I'm guessing it (the steam) does not go away. If water is getting in the cylinder(s) it's gotta be from either a blown gasket, or crack in the head, or cracked cylinder wall. For your sake I hope it's a gasket.

You can check the dipstick or look inside the oil fill with flashlight to see if 'mayonaise' is showing up, but if you have a crack high in a cylinder wall (or just the right place blown on a head gasket), water won't necessarily get into the oil sufficiently to build up the mayo looking stuff.

Edit: water in the oil will make a white substance that looks like mayonaise or off white lubriplate, you should not have to drain it to check, but it wont' hurt. The sound on the vid is not great, but it sounds rougher than just a miss!? You can do a compression check, but you're probably looking at pulling the head at a minimum anyway. Blow portion of gasket should be obvious, you can insepct the cylinder walls (rotating crank as needed to check thoroughly), if you don't find any problems with the first two, I'd then take the head to be magnafluxed (checked for cracks).
Good luck!

 

[mugsy]

Oil in the engine coolant is simple, use the advanced engineering principle that oil floats on top of water. If the oil is going into the coolant, just pop open the rad cap an looksie into the neck. No need ot drain the coolant. If it's the other way around, oil in the water, as others have said, check the dip stick. When the HG blew on my '68 Cat 400, the stuff on the dip stick looked like chocolate milk shake.

Some auto parts store should rent or loan the compression tester and coolant system tester. Call around.

 

[350kmileford]

After I checked my radiator last night, enough coolant had been cooked so that inside the radiator all I could see was dry fins. I had topped it off before shooting the video above.

Edit: Just ran it and checked again. No oil in radiator, but there was definitely a melted vanilla ice cream substance on dipstick.

 

[inline300]

 

[Frankenstang]

I'll second that...man, I'm sorry to hear that.

I'm not sure it's worth the trouble to do a compression check at this point only because I don't think it will distingquish between a blown head gasket, crack in cylinder, or crack in head combustion chamber. If I were you I'd probably dive in and pull the head, being careful to examine the gasket and mounting surfaces thoroughly for evidence of a blown head gasket. You can then inspect the cylinder bores/walls for any damage/cracks, and check out the head.

I would also suggest you run it as little as possible at this point so that you don't drive moisture into any unwanted places like bearing caps, dislocating oil/lubricant and causing any further damage. Go ahead and drain the oil to get what moisture/(oily water) you can out of there. If it's the head gasket you should consider dropping the pan and soaking the lower end with a lightweight lubricant that will displace moisture, like wd40, and let dry. Were you getting any metal on metal sounds? (it was hard to tell in vid) Any external water leaks on the engine that you can see?

I'm thinking positive for you, and hoping it's just your head gasket which would be the easier/cheaper repair. If it turns out to be the head gasket you're probably only looking at resurfacing the head and a new gasket at minimum (only would have to have top of block surfaced if there were evidence of any damage/scarring from leak. Cast iron can sustain an internal water leak with less damage than modern aluminum engines.
Good luck!...sorry no emoticon with it's fingers crossed

 

[jamyers]

... No oil in radiator, but there was definitely a melted vanilla ice cream substance on dipstick.

Yup, you get to pull the head.

 

[350kmileford]

I ordered a gasket last night, gonna replace it today. Do I really need to have the block machined? I was just gonna swap gaskets w/ engine in-car.

 

[inline300]

were the head bolts torque to yield on your model?

 

[350kmileford]

Heck if I knew. I will be torquing them with my eleven dollar AutoZone torque wrench though >_< 65-75-95, is it?

 

[jamyers]

I ordered a gasket last night, gonna replace it today. Do I really need to have the block machined? I was just gonna swap gaskets w/ engine in-car.

Very unusual for the block to get out of whack, but you'll really really want to have the head checked for warping.